A Demon and a Ghost walk into a bar...

[Kuzuru]

　　Ambrosia seemed to hold a quiet distance with Renji, or more accurately he held a quiet distance away from them. In his universe he had no need for friends, his life was spent honing his craft and defeating adversaries. Settling down in one place made little sense for a nomadic warrior, but in the Omniverse things were different. Never would he openly admit it, but he did find some comfort in the normality of civilized life. A roof over his head and three hot meals filled Renji with a quiet desire to serve the town. It was strange, ever since his demon’s absence he had begun to feel more at peace with the world. The restless nagging for battle and blood had faded from the back of his mind, and although he still sought perfection in swordplay he no longer had the insatiable lust for spilled blood.
　　
　　Perhaps Rou’s resurgence and subsequent coup d’etat had been a blessing in disguise. A tainted mind would never realize how poisoned it was until clarity was restored. And Rou brought clarity, almost painfully so. He remembered Sara and the painful stream of memories that her name brought. Soft auburn hair and a gentle smile had melted his frigid heart and beckoned him to settle. But, as with most things in Renji’s life, this was nothing more than another ghost, a faded memory lost in the head of an immortal man.
　　
　　“Hey over there!” Wanda zipped around the daydreaming swordsman and pointed at the nearby diner.
　　
　　“The Sty and Fry” Renji muttered, feeling the weight of the words in his mouth.
　　
　　“Let’s go there, I heard they have good food...” her mouth drooled at the thought of food.
　　
　　The ghost floated overhead, drifting next to Renji with her back parallel to the earth. She tilted her head back and looked at the upside down diner. Mischief crossed her mind and she suppressed a giggle at the thought of how much of a nuisance she could be in a diner. Not that her goal was to be a nuisance, it was just that living people were always so boring . If she was considered a nuisance for bringing entertainment to the dull lives of the living than so be it. As the two entered the tavern she phased through the floorboards and set to work.
　　
　　“Welcome to the Sty and Fry! My name’s Mina and I’ll get you seated!” the enthusiastic voice of a humanoid pig-lady greeted the swordsman.
　　
　　“Erm, thanks.” Renji responded.

　　“Right this way,” she led Renji to a table towards the back of the restaurant. His sharp eyes darted around the building, trying to keep track of his incorporeal companion. With a sigh he sat down at his appointed table, thoroughly fed up with Wanda’s antics. With a smile he turned his attention to the menu, and much to his chagrin there was a distinct lack of meat. It wasn’t that he was averse to the thought of a vegan lifestyle, but rather he had an indescribable hunger for meat. With a sigh he shrugged and lowered the menu.

　　“Can I get you something to drink?”
　　
　　“Just water, thank you.” Renji requested.
　　
　　Instinctively the swordsman rested his palm on the handle of his cursed blade. The citizens of Ambrosia seemed, for the most part, harmless. Even still it was some twisted habit, he was a rabid dog protecting a shank of meat. Or more accurately a starving dog protecting scraps of a bone. He no longer felt the demon’s power coursing through his veins. With the inmates of his sword running free within his psyche he could no longer rely on their collective power. Now he was a just a man with a sword, aided only by his personal skill and strength, and he felt weak . Snapping the swordsman back to reality Mina returned with his drink.
　　
　　Hey look over there.

　　Rou’s familiar voice echoed through Renji’s skull. The swordsman flinched and gripped his glass of water tightly, trying to carved his fingernails into the smooth glass. The sound of microphone feedback pierced Renji’s ears and he grit his teeth in pain. Somehow, through some godforsaken miracle the inmate Rou had figured out how to communicate with Renji.
　　
　　Helloooo is this thing on? Can you here me?
　　
　　Rou, how are you able to speak to me?
　　
　　I broke into Kuzuru’s office, and I gotsta this place is pretty high class.
　　
　　Where is the demon?!
　　
　　Who knows, more importantly who cares?
　　
　　Renji sighed and bit the back of his palm in frustration. Rou ignored his frustration and continued speaking into Renji’s mind.
　　
　　Man, I can even influence your actions from here, hell I can even alter your memories.
　　
　　Like hell you can.
　　
　　You have no idea how much control that demon had over you do you?
　　
　　...
　　
　　Don’t worry, you’re some pretty decent entertainment so I won’t mess with anything.
　　
　　Gee thanks.
　　
　　At any rate, the reason I’m up here is cause Wanda is right, you are getting pretty boring. Don’t worry though! I’ve got a plan, take a look up are the bar.
　　
　　Help wanted?
　　
　　Yeah, so listen these people were nice enough to take you in and let you stay in their town and asides from chase away a few orcs you haven’t done shit.
　　
　　And?
　　
　　And, you want to turn over a new leaf, so start here become their bartender and contribute to the community.
　　
　　I don’t know anything about alcohol.
　　
　　Do you know how many bartenders you’ve killed? Their is at least a thousand of them in here.
　　
　　They aren’t locked in the prison anymore, I can’t use their knowledge.
　　
　　Not forcefully, but we can choose to offer you our strength and knowledge. Not that everyone will, but I’m sure I can convince a few of the bartenders to help you out on the pretense of you becoming a better person.
　　
　　Fine, whatever.